As I flew from New York to Italy in 2010, I thought, ‘My Sicilian great-grandparents must be spinning in their graves.’ I’d been to Italy before, but this time I was moving to Reggio Emilia alone to apply for Italian citizenship.
Read MoreI’ve experienced so much in the last few months, and actually feel like an Italian resident rather than just a visitor. I’ve made some great friendships and enjoyed living in Reggio Emilia, a progressive city that has everything from theatre to bookshops to cafes. There is a ton of green space and the recycling system is more advanced than in any other city I’ve lived in. Strangely, very often I found myself defending Reggio to the natives. “You came from New York? Why are you here? It’s so boring!” I think the city is great, and secretly many of them must, too, because for all their lamenting, they don’t leave.
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